


Sisters

by xanderlike



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: AU Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:22:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29595507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xanderlike/pseuds/xanderlike
Summary: AU of "Infiltrator". The newest member of the Team reveals to the Black Canary that her sister has joined the League of Shadows!
Relationships: Artemis Crock & Jade Nguyen
Kudos: 4





	Sisters

Dinah Lance sighed as she took a sip of her honeyed tea. The young woman-- girl, really-- in front of her had refused any for herself, but Dinah had needed to soothe her throat … and the girl had needed the time to steady herself. She now looked rock solid, impassive even. But …

But Dinah was adept at reading the slightest tells. A woman who customarily went hand to hand against men and women and monsters capable of tearing her limb from limb had to know when someone was preparing to attack … preparing to surrender … or ready to break down. To Dinah, it was obvious:

The girl was on the verge of falling apart.

“Talk,” Dinah said softly. “It won't leave this room-- no matter what.”

The girl sighed. “I learned a long time ago to never trust absolute promises.” 

“Trust me,” Dinah replied. “Have I ever lied to you?”

“No ...” The girl looked down. “The assassin that went after Dr. Roquette.”

“The one that Wally called 'crazy catgirl'.”

A flash of irritation crossed the girl's face. “Yes.”

“What about her?” Dinah knew, of course. But the girl needed to say it for herself.

“It was her. My sister.” The girl's marvelous green eyes-- the ones that a certain red haired young man of her acquaintance seemed to get lost in-- teared up. “My sister has become an assassin. She works for the League of Shadows.”

“I'm sorry.”

“I let her go. I should have stopped her. I didn't. I didn't because she was my sister.”

“It's understandable.” She wanted to hug the girl, but Dinah knew from experience that the girl won't tolerate anything like sympathy … because even after all this time she still has trouble telling the difference between sympathy and pity.

“People will die because of my mistake,” the girl said softly. “She's an assassin. She would have killed Roquette without a moment's hesitation. She has no pity.” The girl covered her face with her hands. “It's all my fault!”

“You aren't responsible for your sister's crimes, Jade. She's old enough to make her own decisions.”

“I should have taken her with me, Dinah! I should have made her come with me! I left her with that monster.” She removed her hands and the tears flowed freely. “I left her with our mother!”

This time nothing on Earth could stop Dinah from going to side and embracing the girl the world called her sidekick … the fledgling hero called Cheshire. “Jade, you were still a child yourself. You tried … Artemis just wouldn't go.”

Jade Crock laid her head on Dinah's shoulder. “I should have made her come with me.” She shuddered. “After he died”-- and even after all this time Jade would never say the word father-- “she changed. Paula found out the name of the police officer who killed him. She found him, and she tortured him to death-- she tortured him in front of his children!” She paused. “In front of her children.”

Dinah stroked the girl's hair. She knew the story … something in the woman who called herself the Huntress had broken with the death of Lawrence Crock. She had become ten times the monster that the Sportsmaster had ever been on his worst day. The man had died screaming … and his children had never stopped.

Jade had fled that night … left her insane mother and her stubborn sister behind her … but only physically.

They had never left her heart.

Dinah had found Jade on the streets nearly a month later. Dirty. Half-starved … but also one of the deadliest fighters Dinah had ever encountered even though she was still little more than a child.

Convincing Jade to come live with her hadn't been easy, but Dinah Lance was nothing if not persistent … and perhaps Roy Harper had something to do with it as well. The chip on Roy's shoulder had only grown in recent years, but he was still a good boy … man, Dinah reminded herself, as hard as it was to think of Roy that way. He'd been even younger than Jade had been when she met him … and Ollie.

It hadn't taken long for the sparks to fly between Roy and Jade … so much so that Dinah hadn't been surprised when Jade walked with Roy before the Cadmus incident. Dinah couldn't lie to herself-- she had misgivings about Speedy-- Red Arrow-- and Cheshire running around without supervision-- but she trusted them to look out for each other.

They had crossed paths with the Team … and Jade had discovered that her sister Artemis had joined the League of Shadows as Tigress.

“What are you going to do, Jade?” Dinah asked her gently.

Jade pulled herself away from Dinah and her face became an impassive mask. Dinah wondered sometimes which of Jade's parents had taught her that … or perhaps it had just been the life that she had been forced to lead with them. “I'm going to ask Batman to let me join the Team.”

Dinah raised an eyebrow.

“The Justice League-- and the Team-- are my best chance for finding Artemis again. I have to stop her … she's my responsibility.”

“Jade … Artemis made her own choices. It's not your fault.”

“I let her go, Dinah. Anything she does now-- anyone she hurts-- anyone she kills-- is on my head. I have to stop her.” 

Dinah touched her face. “Have you explained what happened to Roy?”

Jade looked down. “We're … not good at sharing things like that. He doesn't deserve to be weighed down with my drama.”

Dinah laughed softly. “Jade … he may not have Ollie's last name or DNA, but Roy is his son in every way that matters. 'Drama' is a Queen family trait. He'll understand … if you let him.”

Jade sighed. “I messed up tonight, Dinah. I messed up when I left Artemis behind. How do I know I won't mess up with Roy?”

“You don't. But what you have with him-- it's worth fighting for, right?”

Jade's eyes filled with tears, but she nodded.

“We'll find Artemis, Jade. I promise you that. We'll find her, and maybe it's not too late to help her make another choice … a better choice.”

Jade shook her head sadly, but she didn't say anything.

She had always thought of Artemis as being too kind, too loving, to be a member of their family. She never in a million years would have guessed that her sweet little sister would have joined the Shadows … or that she would find herself on the side of the angels. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. Artemis deserved better.

A heart rending cry broke the sudden silence.

It took Jade a moment to realize that it came from her.

She let Dinah take her into her arms once more, and she wept as she had not done since the night she fled the horror her family had become.

Tonight … tonight she would mourn the girl her sister had been.

Tomorrow … tomorrow she would stop her.

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: So … years ago I wrote an AU story where Paula died and Lawrence found his way towards redemption. This idea came to me about what might have happened if he had died. I needed something extreme that would lead Jade and Artemis onto different paths than they trod in the show. Hope you enjoyed this!


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